IT’S ALL ABOUT the burn in the next chapter of The Exorcist.

Are these incidents separate examples of how much the demon has his hooks into the city? Or are we dealing with more than on demon as prophesized by Father Marcus?

We were also offered further insights into these characters and the demon/s may have had on them for some time.

So let’s open up the operating theatre to dissect the latest episode of The Exorcist and delve into this plot a little deeper with 5 key points taking from Chapter Three, ‘Let Em In”.

1. The car crash
   Isn’t that a thing?
   You declare your true feelings towards your soul mate and friend, when a demon steps out in front of the car, causing it to crash and killing your beloved.
   Such is the plight that faces Katherine in the first of our flashbacks involving the Rance’s.
   But what does this mean and reflect?
   Is this would-have-been lesbian affair, a torment on Katherine’s soul?
   Does the demon capitalise on this often scorned upon view of gay relationships in order to gain control over Katherine?
   What is there to gain from this?
   And did you notice that we never saw Julie’s face at all?
   A touch that I liked and adds weight to the symbolism of their relationship, especially as it was Julie’s face that Katherine was describing that she was attracted to at the time that the accident took place. 

2. The burning man
   If ever the Pope’s welcoming committee needed convincing that Chicago is falling foul to the Demon’s delights, surely it comes in the guise of a burning man, who turns up outside the building.
   Not much seems to be said around this, other than a brief mention from Bennett, who may have been the only character swayed be the depths of depravity circling them.
   Will the clergy finally get their act together, or is it all too little too late?

3. From one burn to another
   After stealing a dress from the store, once again showing how under the thumb she has become, Casey is taken in front of Marcus, who begins to drill her about her inadequacies and jealousy of her sister.
   This action draws the demon to the surface, which reveals to Marcus that he is the same demon from the failed exorcism in Ep 1, much to his disbelief.
   So armed with the proof that Casey is clearly under the demonic influence, (caught on camera by Father Tomas) they try to stake their case for an exorcism, only for Marcus to be slapped in the face with an excommunication.
   Man that’s gotta sting. Better cool off by getting smashed in the church pews.
   Oh, and just burn the excommunication papers while you’re at it too.

4. The curling iron replaces the crucifix
   A fairly infamous scene from the movie, bears witness to Regan using a crucifix to masturbate with. An action that is used to shock her mother in order to display just how possessed she now is.
   Here a similar device is used to shock, but instead it’s the audience that bear witness to the cruel act of self-mutilation as Casey inflicts bodily pain upon her genitals with a curling iron.
   It’s a gruesome moment and one that reflects the fine line between pleasure and pain and treads a similar ground to Clive Barker’s Hellraiser in the process.

5. The train scene
   Earlier in the episode, Henry starts to realise that there is something clearly wrong with his daughter and when he tries to pry into what is going on, he falls into a temporary coma, (a result of his scaffolding injury).
   Cue demonic possession in from of an entire carriage full of people.
   When a guy sexually advances on Casey, the demon arrives and lures the dark side to the surface.
   Casey then shreds the guy apart with his body eviscerated and then his jaw ripped open.
   Fuck that was intense, but another indication that sex is definitely a key attributer to when the demon’s power is at its greatest, when you combine this attack with the self-mutilation scene and the car crash at the beginning of the episode.
   And did you notice at the end of the train attack, there was another sign declaring, ‘He is coming.’ over Casey’s shoulder? 

With all this doom and gloom circling the characters, you’d be forgiven for thinking that there is no hope for light in the darkness.

But when Bennett hands Marcus a list of places to go to, outside of Chicago, is this a beacon for him to follow in order to restore order and faith once again?

And can Father Tomas take on the torch in Marcus’ absence?

Time will tell in the next episode, ‘The Moveable Feast’.